Method and apparatus for compressing scrap metal strip

Abstract

A stream of scrap metal strip is continuously compressed in an apparatus comprising a pair of compression rolls and a traveling shear disposed, in that sequence, along a processing path having a substantial vertical component. The process is performed continuously, and there is no need for the process to be interrupted in order to remove strip parts overhanging the entrance to the compression apparatus.

1. The processing of scrap metal strip into a plurality of individual packages of uncontained, compressed material employing a method which includes a compressing step and which eliminates the need to trim excess scrap metal strip before said compressing step or during the performance of said method, said method comprising the steps of:
 providing, as said scrap metal strip, a scrap metal material that has heretofore been processed in commercial baling operations and that constitutes (a) obsolete scrap and (b) industrial scrap resulting from manufacturing operations performed on a coil of metal strip; 
 feeding a stream of said scrap metal strip in a downstream direction along a processing path; 
 employing a pair of compression rolls to compress said scrap metal strip into a continuous slab of compressed scrap metal strip; 
 and employing a guillotine shear to shear said slab into a plurality of slab portions, each composed of compressed scrap metal strip downstream of said shear. 
 
   
   
     2. A method as recited in  claim 1  wherein:
 said processing path has at least a substantial vertical component. 
 
   
   
     3. A method as recited in  claim 2  wherein said path is essentially vertical. 
   
   
     4. A method as recited in  claim 1  and comprising:
 providing a second pair of compression rolls, at a location downstream of said shear; 
 and employing the second pair of compression rolls to further compress the scrap metal strip in said slab portion, to increase the density of the slab portion. 
 
   
   
     5. A method as recited in  claim 1  and comprising:
 clamping said scrap metal strip upstream of said shear during said shearing step; 
 and continuing the feeding of said scrap metal strip after said shearing step without unclamping said strip. 
 
   
   
     6. A method as recited in  claim 5  wherein:
 said method is performed without blocking the path of movement of said slab downstream of the guillotine shear while said slab is being sheared. 
 
   
   
     7. A method as recited in  claim 1  wherein said shear is a traveling shear that travels downstream in synchronous movement with said slab during the shearing of said slab. 
   
   
     8. A method as recited in  claim 7  wherein:
 said compressing step produces a continuous slab moving downstream toward said traveling shear under the urging of said compression rolls; 
 and said method comprises clamping said scrap metal strip upstream of said shear during the shearing step without interrupting the downstream movement of said slab toward said shear. 
 
   
   
     9. A method as recited in  claim 7  wherein:
 said feeding step comprises moving a continuous stream of scrap metal strip in a downstream direction toward said compression rolls; 
 said compressing step produces a continuous slab moving downstream toward said shear under the urging of said compression rolls; 
 said compressing step is performed without interrupting the downstream movement of said continuous stream of scrap metal strip toward said compression rolls; 
 and said shearing step is performed without interrupting the downstream movement of said slab toward said traveling shear. 
 
   
   
     10. A method as recited in  claim 1  wherein:
 said stream of scrap metal strip is a continuous stream. 
 
   
   
     11. A method as recited in  claim 1  wherein each compression roll has a pair of opposite ends, each end is spaced from and unengaged with an adjacent end on the other roll, and said method comprises:
 containing said scrap metal strip from spilling out at the ends of the compression rolls during said compressing step. 
 
   
   
     12. A method as recited in  claim 1  and comprising:
 providing an additional pair of compression rolls at a location downstream of the first-recited pair of rolls and upstream of said shear; 
 and hydraulically loading or spring loading at least one of the rolls in said additional pair of compression rolls to pinch said slab between the rolls. 
 
   
   
     13. A method as recited in  claim 1  and comprising:
 providing containment walls that extend downstream from the upstream end of said path and terminate at said compression rolls; 
 and employing said containment walls to contain said steam of scrap metal strip within the processing path, from the upstream end of the processing path to the compression rolls. 
 
   
   
     14. A method as recited in  claim 13  and comprising:
 employing said containment walls to completely enclose said stream of scrap metal strip as the strip moves downstream along the processing path. 
 
   
   
     15. A method as recited in  claim 1  wherein said scrap metal strip is composed of steel and wherein:
 said stream of scrap metal strip is a continuous stream; 
 said compressing step produces a continuous slab moving downstream toward said shear under the urging of said compression rolls; 
 and said shearing step is performed without interrupting the downstream movement of said slab toward said shear. 
 
   
   
     16. An apparatus for processing scrap metal material, wherein said apparatus comprises:
 a processing path having upstream and downstream ends, 
 means, adjacent said upstream end, for receiving scrap metal material, 
 a guillotine shear located along said path downstream of said upstream end and comprising means for shearing said scrap metal material, 
 and a pair of rotatable rolls located along said path upstream of said shear and comprising means for engaging said scrap metal material and for urging said scrap metal material downstream along said path toward said shear, 
 and wherein said apparatus is characterized by at least two of the following expedients, (a)-(c), for processing said scrap metal material:
 (a) another pair of rotatable rolls, located along said path downstream of said shear, and comprising means for engaging said scrap metal material downstream of said shear; 
 (b) said shear being a traveling shear which travels downstream in synchronous movement with said scrap metal material during the shearing of said material; 
 said upstream pair of rotatable rolls comprising means for urging said scrap metal material downstream toward said traveling shear without interruption during said shearing of said material; 
 and said traveling shear comprises means for shearing the scrap metal material without interrupting the downstream movement of said material along said path; 
 (c) a pair of pincher rolls located along said path between said upstream pair of rolls and said shear, at least one of said pincher rolls being hydraulically loaded or spring loaded. 
 
 
   
   
     17. An apparatus as recited in  claim 16  wherein said two expedients are (a) and (b). 
   
   
     18. An apparatus as recited in  claim 16  wherein said two expedients are (a) and (c). 
   
   
     19. An apparatus as recited in  claim 16  wherein said two expedients are (b) and (c). 
   
   
     20. An apparatus as recited in  claim 16  and comprising all three of said expedients, (a)-(c). 
   
   
     21. An apparatus as recited in  claim 16  wherein said scrap metal material is compressible, one of said expedients is (a) and wherein:
 said pair of rolls located upstream of said shear comprises means for compressing said scrap metal material; 
 and said pair of rolls located downstream of said shear comprises means for further compressing said scrap metal material to increase the density thereof after said scrap metal material has been sheared. 
 
   
   
     22. An apparatus as recited in  claim 16  wherein:
 said processing path has a substantial vertical component. 
 
   
   
     23. An apparatus as recited in  claim 22  wherein:
 said processing path is essentially vertical. 
 
   
   
     24. An apparatus as recited in  claim 16  and having a part, including said pair of rolls, that is located upstream of said shear and that comprises:
 means for feeding said scrap metal material downstream to said shear; 
 means for clamping said scrap metal material during shearing; 
 and means for continuing said feeding, after the material has been sheared, without unclamping the material. 
 
   
   
     25. An apparatus as recited in  claim 24  wherein one of said expedients is (b) and wherein:
 said clamping means comprises means for clamping said material during shearing without interrupting the downstream feeding of said material to said shear. 
 
   
   
     26. An apparatus for processing scrap metal material, wherein said apparatus comprises:
 a processing path having upstream and downstream ends, 
 means, adjacent said upstream end, for receiving scrap metal material; 
 a guillotine shear located along said path downstream of said upstream end and comprising means for shearing said scrap metal material; 
 a pair of rotatable rolls located along said path upstream of said shear and comprising means for engaging said scrap metal material and for urging said scrap metal material downstream along said path toward said shear; 
 and another pair of rotatable rolls, located along said path downstream of said shear, and comprising means for engaging said scrap metal material downstream of said shear. 
 
   
   
     27. An apparatus for processing scrap metal material, wherein said apparatus comprises:
 a processing path having upstream and downstream ends; 
 means, adjacent said upstream end, for receiving scrap metal material; 
 a guillotine shear located along said path downstream of said upstream end and comprising means for shearing said scrap metal material; 
 and a pair of rotatable rolls located along said path upstream of said shear and comprising means for engaging said scrap metal material and for urging said scrap metal material downstream along said path toward said shear; 
 said shear being a traveling shear that travels downstream in synchronous movement with said scrap metal material during the shearing of said material; 
 said upstream pair of rotatable rolls comprising means for urging said scrap metal material downstream toward said traveling shear without interruption during said shearing of said material; 
 and said traveling shear comprises means for shearing the scrap metal material without interrupting the downstream movement of said material along said path. 
 
   
   
     28. An apparatus for processing scrap metal material, wherein said apparatus comprises:
 a processing path having upstream and downstream ends; 
 means, adjacent said upstream end, for receiving scrap metal material; 
 a guillotine shear located along said path downstream of said upstream end and comprising means for shearing said scrap metal material; 
 and a pair of rotatable rolls located along said path upstream of said shear and comprising means for engaging said scrap metal material and for urging said scrap metal material downstream along said path toward said shear; 
 said apparatus having a part, including said pair of rolls, that is located upstream of said shear and that comprises: 
 means for feeding said scrap metal material downstream to said shear; 
 means for clamping said scrap metal material during shearing; 
 and means for continuing said feeding, after the material has been sheared, without unclamping the material. 
 
   
   
     29. An apparatus as recited in  claim 28  wherein:
 said clamping means comprises means for clamping said material during shearing without interrupting the downstream feeding of said material to said shear. 
 
   
   
     30. An apparatus as recited in  claim 28  wherein:
 said apparatus is devoid of any provision for blocking the path of movement of said scrap metal material downstream of the guillotine shear while said material is being sheared. 
 
   
   
     31. A method for processing scrap metal material, said method comprising the steps of:
 providing a processing path having upstream and downstream ends; 
 providing a guillotine shear between said upstream and downstream ends; 
 receiving scrap metal material at said upstream end; 
 feeding said scrap metal material downstream along said path to said shear; 
 shearing said material at said shear; 
 clamping the material at a location upstream of said shear during said shearing step; and 
 continuing said feeding step without unclamping said material. 
 
   
   
     32. A method as recited in  claim 31  wherein:
 said method is performed without blocking the path of movement of said scrap metal material downstream of the guillotine shear while said material is being sheared.